MORE Batswana are becoming aware of the harmful affects of smoking because of the government's anti-smoking campaign.

The government forged a partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and smokers in Botswana to tackle the problem. It is especially smoking among the youth that alarms the authorities. The Ministry of Health conducted a school-based survey in 2001 and revealed that 14% of school-going kids were using tobacco and 6% smoked cigarettes. Last year, Botswana became signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Moscow, Russia. The survey among scholars revealed that most students had easy access to cigarettes because they were not barred from purchasing them from shops. The government's call in 2001 for smokers to quit resulted in the formation of the Stop Smoking Support Group (SSSG). The SSSG is meant for smokers, passive smokers and others who are affected by smoking. The growing awareness of the side effects of smoking also receives attention thanks to various stakeholders joining the campaigns and offering solutions. "The SSSG was formed with 22 members. Membership dwindled because some members expected treatment to help them quit", SSSG Chairman Simon Mophakedi said yesterday. "The group is at an embryonic stage and at the moment we are in Plan 1 where we want to attract more members to the group. Plan 2 will be to register the group, settle and have offices throughout the country," said Mophakedi. However, he added that people are still not coming forward to join the group. "Many smokers are out there and do not want to join the group because they have high expectations of getting a quick fix to their smoking problem. Many people have come forward and ran away." The SSSG received a major boost recently when the Botswana Network for People Living With AIDS (BONEPWA) announced that it would support it. "Groups like SSSG are important because they afford members a sense of belonging and we could help with a grant of P3 500," said David Ngele of BONEPWA.

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